Community Engagement and Collaboration in the Formation of a Palar Project Team at University of Zululand: A Reflective Account

Abstract

This article provides insights into the formation and lived experiences of the PALAR (Participatory Action Learning and Action Research) project team in their efforts to engage with communities in the King Cetshwayo District of KwaZulu-Natal. The project aimed to establish a self-care, self-paced intervention strategy for individuals living with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. The objective of the study was to explore how community engagement influenced the team’s approach, processes, and outcomes. The article highlights the motivations of a multidisciplinary team of academics in collaborating with local communities, emphasizing the value of participatory methodologies in health intervention design. Personal narratives from team members offer reflective accounts of working collectively in a community-based research context. Community engagement served as a central pillar of the project, fostering imagination, collaboration, innovation, and a self-directed ethos among both researchers and participants. The study adopted qualitative phenomenological techniques and an autobiographical design to collect in-depth reflections from the PALAR team. Custom qualitative questions guided the process, eliciting rich and diverse experiences. These autobiographical responses were transcribed and analyzed thematically, revealing key insights into team dynamics, learning processes, and the broader impact of community engagement. Findings underscore the significance of community engagement not only in addressing local health challenges but also in shaping academic practice. The study contributes to the growing recognition of community engagement as a formal pillar of academic achievement in higher education. Ultimately, the article affirms the importance of participatory research in developing meaningful, context-sensitive interventions.